Ohio has gone from the nation’s bellwether to a solidly Republican state in little more than a decade. Republicans hold every statewide executive office, supermajorities in the legislature, both U.S. Senate seats and the state voted Republican for president by double digits in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Outside of Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and a handful of college towns, Ohio’s 88 counties are overwhelmingly red. For families leaving Illinois, Michigan, the Northeast or the West Coast, Ohio offers big-city job markets, affordable housing, four seasons, Lake Erie and a cost of living that is among the lowest of any state with major metros.
This guide covers the best cities and regions in Ohio for conservative families, with how each area votes, what homes cost and what to expect. Prices are rough 2026 ranges from public listing data.
Cincinnati’s suburbs: Warren, Butler and Clermont counties
Cincinnati proper votes Democratic, but the three counties to its north and east are among the most reliably Republican suburban counties in the Midwest. Warren County, with Mason, Lebanon and Springboro, is the state’s fastest-growing and most affluent suburban county and votes about 65 percent Republican. Butler County includes West Chester, Liberty Township, Fairfield and Hamilton. Clermont County to the east, with Milford, Batavia and Loveland, votes about 70 percent Republican and is more affordable.
Mason and West Chester medians run $400,000 to $475,000; Lebanon, Fairfield and Clermont County $300,000 to $375,000. Procter & Gamble, Kroger, GE Aerospace, Fifth Third and a dense healthcare sector make Cincinnati one of the strongest corporate job markets in the Midwest. For a conservative family that wants a major metro, this is the best area in Ohio.
Columbus’s suburbs: Delaware, Union and Fairfield counties
Columbus is Ohio’s largest and fastest-growing city, and Franklin County votes Democratic. The ring counties do not. Delaware County to the north is the wealthiest county in Ohio and leans Republican, with Powell, Lewis Center, Sunbury and the city of Delaware. Union County to the northwest, with Marysville and Plain City, votes about 65 percent Republican and is home to Honda’s plants. The new Intel semiconductor campus sits just east of Columbus in Licking County, which has also stayed Republican. Fairfield County to the southeast, with Lancaster, Pickerington and Canal Winchester, is affordable and solidly red.
Powell and Lewis Center medians run $475,000 to $550,000; Marysville, Pickerington and Lancaster $325,000 to $400,000. Columbus’s economy, built on state government, Ohio State, Nationwide, JPMorgan Chase, logistics and the coming Intel buildout, has been the strongest in the state.
Dayton’s suburbs: Greene and Miami counties
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in Ohio, sits in Greene County just east of Dayton, and Beavercreek, Bellbrook and Xenia are popular with military families and defense contractors. Greene County votes about 60 percent Republican. Miami County to the north, with Troy, Tipp City and Piqua, votes about 70 percent Republican and is more rural. Springboro and Centerville to the south are established suburbs. Beavercreek medians run $325,000 to $375,000; Troy and Tipp City $275,000 to $325,000.
Cleveland’s conservative suburbs: Medina and Geauga counties
Cuyahoga County votes heavily Democratic, but the outer counties are Republican. Medina County to the southwest, with Medina, Brunswick and Wadsworth, votes about 60 percent Republican and has one of the best-preserved town squares in Ohio. Geauga County to the east, with Chardon, Chesterland and Bainbridge, is rural, affluent and votes about 65 percent Republican. Lake County along Lake Erie leans Republican. The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Progressive, Sherwin-Williams and manufacturing drive the regional economy. Medina medians run $325,000 to $375,000; Geauga $375,000 to $450,000 with larger lots.
Northwest Ohio: Findlay, Perrysburg and the Toledo suburbs
Findlay in Hancock County is a city of 40,000 that is regularly ranked among the best small cities in the country for business and quality of life. Marathon Petroleum is headquartered there, Hancock County votes about 70 percent Republican and medians run $225,000 to $275,000. To the north, Toledo votes Democratic but Perrysburg, Maumee and Sylvania in the suburbs lean Republican; Wood County around Perrysburg is a swing county that trends red. Perrysburg medians are $300,000 to $350,000. Lima, Wapakoneta and Celina to the south sit in some of the most Republican counties in the state.
Canton, Massillon and Stark County
Canton is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and sits in Stark County, which votes about 60 percent Republican. The city itself is mixed, but North Canton, Jackson Township, Louisville and Massillon lean Republican. Aultman and Mercy hospitals, manufacturing and the Timken companies anchor the economy, and Akron and Cleveland are within 45 minutes. Medians are among the lowest for a metro of its size, at $200,000 to $250,000. Wayne County to the west, with Wooster, is the heart of Ohio’s Amish country and votes 70 percent Republican.
Lancaster, Zanesville and the eastern counties
Southeastern and eastern Ohio are the most Republican parts of the state, with many counties voting 70 to 80 percent Republican. Zanesville in Muskingum County, an hour east of Columbus on I-70, has a regional hospital and historic downtown and medians around $200,000. New Philadelphia and Dover in Tuscarawas County and Cambridge in Guernsey County are similar. The region is hilly and wooded, more like Appalachia than the flat farmland of western Ohio, and offers the most land for the money in the state.
What to look for when choosing a town in Ohio
- Townships matter. Much of suburban Ohio is unincorporated township land, which usually means no municipal income tax. Living in a township rather than a city can save 1 to 2.5 percent of income.
- Municipal income tax. Ohio cities levy their own income taxes, typically 1 to 2.5 percent, and where you work matters as much as where you live. Confirm the credit your home city gives for taxes paid to your work city.
- Property reappraisals. Counties reappraise every six years with a three-year update, and several counties saw large increases in 2023 and 2024. Check the current bill, not the one from a few years ago.
- Winter and lake effect. Cleveland’s east side and the Snowbelt counties of Geauga, Lake and Ashtabula get far more snow than Columbus or Cincinnati.
- Homeschool and school-choice policy. Ohio’s EdChoice program expanded to universal eligibility in 2023, with scholarships for private school tuition on a sliding income scale, and homeschool notification rules were simplified in 2024. Confirm current rules if you plan to use either.
How Conservative Move helps
Choosing a region is the first decision. Finding an agent who knows it, shares your values and will tell you honestly which neighborhoods fit your budget is the second. Conservative Move connects you with a vetted, like-minded real estate agent in the part of Ohio you are considering. Our referral service comes at no additional cost to you. The agent we introduce pays us a referral fee only when your move succeeds, and represents you under their own separate agreement. If you are also selling a home in another state and do not already have a listing agent, we can connect you with one there too.
Get started with Conservative Move and tell us where in Ohio you are looking.